Changed da house,
Changed da look.
BTW, my bathrobe's usually pink
and we don't have a fireplace.
Other than that,
it's pretty accurate...
Psst...click the words above to navigate.
Best viewed, unfortunately, in Internet Explorer.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
~ Picture Perfect ~
The appointment for the interview with Immigration has been set for the following week. At the mo, we're putting together the final touches of our application for my temporary spousal visa, and chasing up on statutory declarations and evidence of our Genuine Relationship.
What makes the entire immigration process such an unsavoury rite of passage is the inordinate amount of bullcrap we find we have to wade through. As Kathy Read had put it to us this afternoon (echoing the advice of many others before her who know of our situation), "you have to play it their way." It doesn't matter if you're a couple that's naturally lazy with the camera or just photo-shy, it doesn't matter if you're not that kind of couple that goes on several holidays per year alone. The fact of the matter is that we hadn't ever gotten into the habit of taking photos together when we go out, and we didn't go on extended holidays alone because that meant dealing with separate accommodation - an expense I couldn't afford. And yet that can be counted against us.
"Evidence of a genuine relationship" includes innumerous love letters both ways (oops), joint bank accounts and leases (still working on it, being a newlywedded couple), records of long-distance phonecalls (but what if we used International Calling Cards?), and lots and lots of photographs (craaaaap). The most sickening thing is that it would actually work in our favour if we had shacked up BEFORE we had gotten married, as evidence of a de facto relationship speaks louder than even the heartfelt signing of a marriage certificate. Better yet, evidence of a sexual relationship (read: pregnancy) would almost guarantee the facilitation of a visa. Yah. Brownie points for premarital nookie.
Because Tony and I hadn't been conscientious with photo-taking at every cheese toasty night we've been to, we have had to put in an announcement to the church here today, asking for photographs of us "as a couple" at any social event from August 2003. And the church - bless each and every one of them - has responded very warmly, with 2 people actually trotting in their cameras this morning so they can shutter away.
I don't know if Tony and I were more amused or sheepish with the attempts to re-enact the courtship on film. Kathy has a brother-in-law who just went through the immigration process, and she's heard all about DIMIA's demands for "more evidence", "more photographs", "more statutory declarations". The idea, it seems, is that we have to pack it in. And she was going to help us. After regaling us with her family's nightmare, she then ordered the back row to stay still so they can form the background of the engineered "social situation" Tony and I find ourselves in.
Here's the result of Kathy's handiwork. Note that both of us look very embarrassed.
Posing for Immigration is such a hoot.
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